South Florida About to Suffer Coldest Night in Four Years

Chris Joseph February 19, 2015 1:46PM

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It's cold out here today. And it's about to get even colder than originally expected. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for Broward and Palm Beach Counties for Thursday night, with temps expected to dip into the 30s and even 20s in some parts of South Florida.

This means we're about to suffer the coldest night in South Florida in the last four years. West Palm Beach is expected to feel the kind of frigid temperatures it hasn't seen since the '50s.

As a result, more shelters are expected to open for the evening.

The Salvation Army, along with the Broward Homeless Assistance Center, announced that it will open its doors Thursday night for those who need shelter in Fort Lauderdale. They will also serve as a pickup location. Those who need shelter are being asked to arrive at the Salvation Army in Broward, located at 1445 W. Broward Blvd., by 6:30 p.m.

The shelter was able to provide food and shelter for more than 80 people, including children, on Wednesday night. They expect even more people tonight.

"Every effort will be made to accommodate all," said Salvation Army spokesperson Brandon Stewart.

Meanwhile, the American Red Cross is working with emergency agencies in Palm Beach County to open more shelters there. There will be a total of 15 different shelters opening up Thursday night in Palm Beach.

The National Weather Service says the wind chill advisory will take effect at 11:00 p.m. Thursday night into 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. This means that very cold air combined with the cold temperatures will join forces to make wind chill temps that are expected be in the upper 20s and lower 30s.

This could lead to frost bite and hypothermia, so it's important that those who need shelter seek it out. For those brave souls venturing out tonight, the NWS says you should wear gloves and a hat.

For now, the temps are expected to remain in the 50s until the evening rolls around. Then things get serious.

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